We are delighted that The Worshipful Company of Horners has chosen Sands as its Masters Charity of the Year for 2019.

The Worshipful Company of Horners is an ancient livery company which is based in the City of London.

One of its many objectives is to maximise support for its charitable activities, in particular, those associated with education, the City, and those nominated by the Master of the Year.

Their current Master Horner, David Giachardi, has chosen Sands in memory of his granddaughter Matilda who was stillborn in 2014.  

David said: “My family are extremely grateful to Sands for the support they gave us following the death of our granddaughter Matilda, and that is why I have chosen them as our Charity of the Year for 2019.

“You never forget such a tragedy, but with the support from a charity like Sands you can build and carry on and I am pleased to say that my daughter Katherine and her partner have subsequently had two healthy little boys.”

The Worshipful Company of Horners hopes to raise at least £25,000 to help fund our hosted training days at London hospitals for healthcare professionals.

The training helps healthcare professionals develop their knowledge, insight and skills to ensure high quality, sensitive care is provided to all parents and families who experience the death of a baby. 

The funds raised will also help to ensure we can continue to provide free memory boxes for bereaved parents, which help them create and keep memories of their beloved baby, including hand and footprints, photographs and other keepsakes.

Susy Gould-Obiora, Senior Corporate & Trusts Fundraiser at Sands, said: “We are enormously grateful to David and The Worshipful Company of Horners for choosing Sands as their chosen Masters Charity for 2019.

“Without the generosity of our supporters, companies, trusts and charitable foundations, we would not be able to carry out our vital work to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, improve bereavement care families receive and fund research to reduce the number of babies dying in the UK.”

For further information on our new partnership, visit The Worshipful Company of Horners website.

If you are a trustee of a charitable trust or foundation who would be interested to hear about how you can support Sands, please email Susy in our partnerships team at: susy.gould-obiora@sands.org.uk or visit the partnerships page on our website.